George Eyston
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Between 1926 and 1954, Captain George Edward Thomas Eyston broke dozens of speed records at Brooklands, Montlhery, Pendine Sands, & Bonneville Salt Flats, in cars ranging in size from 750cc M.G.'s to the 5,000 b.h.p. Thunderbolt. Highlights of his motor-racing career include winning the Boulogne G.P. on 28th August 1926, driving a Bugatti T39, and winning the La Baule G.P. on 25th August 1927, driving a Bugatti 35B. His first records were set, driving an unsupercharged M.G.Midget, on 31st December 1930, at the Montlhery circuit in France. 50 kms at 86.38 mph, 50 miles at 87.11 mph, 100 kms at 87.30 mph. Returning to Montlhery, on 16th February 1931, he drove the 743cc MG EX120 at class record speeds of 103.13 mph over 5 kms, 102.76 mph over 5 miles, 102.43 mph over 10 kms, & 101.86 mph over 10 miles. At Brooklands on 13th March 1931, further records were set at 97.09 mph over the flying kilometre & 96.93 mph over the mile. Back to Montlhery, to achieve an average speed of 101 mph for 1 hour, as well as records over 50 kms, 50 miles, & 100 kms. At the end of 1931, the "Magic Midget" was taken to Montlhery, and set records of 114.77 mph over 5 kms, 114.74 mph over 5 miles, 114.72 mph over 10 kms, and 114.46 mph over 10 miles. On 8th February 1932, Eyston drove the 750cc MG EX127 M.G. "Magic Midget", at a class record speed of 118.39 miles per hour at Pendine Sands, which he increased to 120.56 miles per hour on 6th December at Montlhery. The first man to drive a course at two miles per minute in a 'baby' car. In October 1933, at Montlhery, he set up 6 class records in a M.G.Magna car, with co-drivers A.W.Denly, T.H.Wisdom, & R.A.Yallop. These were 12 hours - avg.81.23 mph, 1000 miles - 81.25mph, 2000km - 80.75mph, 3000km - 80.57mph, 2000 miles - 80.49mph, and 24 hours - 80.56mph. In October 1934, a striped 1100cc supercharged MG EX135 nicknamed "Humbug", set 12 class records at Montlhery, including a class record speed of 128.69 miles per hour.
In 1933 on 27th October, Eyston drove a diesel-powered car at Brooklands, to a new speed record of 104.86 miles per hour for the mile, and 106.65 miles per hour for the kilometre. A 24-Hour record was set at Montlhery in March 1934.
In 1935 and 1936, George Eyston drove the front-wheel drive
"Speed of the Wind", powered by a 400 b.h.p Rolls-Royce Kestrel
engine at Bonneville USA, covering 3372.5 miles to set a 24-Hour
Record of 140.52 miles per hour on 16/17th September 1935.
Twenty records were set in August 1936, including the 24-Hour
record at 149.10 miles per hour, as well as a 1-Hour Record of
162 miles per hour, a 12-Hour Record of 149.02 miles per hour,
and a 48-Hour Record in 1936 of 136.34 miles per hour. In 1936, the chassis was refitted with a 17-litre Ricardo V12 Diesel engine, and renamed "Flying Spray", set a record for diesel-engined cars, of 158.87 miles per hour over the measured mile, and 159.1 mph over 1 kilometre. In November 1937, "Speed of the Wind", driven by Eyston & Denly, increased the 24-Hour record to 163.68 miles per hour.
At Montlhery on 4th January 1936, Eyston set a new record for 1
hour at an average speed of 103 miles per hour. Then, in
February 1936, and on 27th April 1937,
Returning the following year, with a modified nose and tail and an enclosed cockpit, in competition with John Cobb's Railton, he increased the 1 Mile record to 345.50 miles per hour on 27th August, & the 1 Km record to 345.21 mph. After removing the tail and the radiator, Eyston set a 1 Mile speed of 357.50 miles per hour on 16th September, & a 1 Km speed of 357.3 mph, to beat the times set only the previous day by John Cobb.
Driving the 1500cc MG EX179 at Bonneville in 1954, with co-driver
Ken Miles, they set 8 international & 28 national records,
including the flying 10 miles at a
George Eyston
Web Links http://www.speedace.info/george_eyston.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Eyston http://www.brooklandsarchives.com/ look in Galleries D1, E10 & S2 http://www.uniquecarsandparts.com.au/world_land_speed_record_drivers_george_eyston.htm http://www.uniquecarsandparts.com.au/world_land_speed_record_32.htm http://www.thrustssc.com/thrustssc/History/Thunderbolt.html http://www.carkeys.co.uk/columns/ross_finlay/1511.asp http://www.historicracing.com/top100.cfm?driverID=1347&today=on&fromrow=1 http://www.topfoto.co.uk/gallery/ttraces/ppages/ppage18.htm
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